Tech news, analysis, culture, business, security, and more
One of the nation’s largest rebate processing firms, CPG (RebateStatus.com) has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. What does that mean for you? Well, if you happened to mail-in a rebate form with a company that CPG works with, your check may be in limbo because they don’t have the money to cash it. At…
The Burj Dubai, the tallest building in the world, is at 160 stories and counting, with the tower due to be complete next September. But it’s not the only tower under construction in Dubai, not by a longshot. No, the city appears to be sprouting up from the ground like a bunch of weeds, with…
Pocket Jockey simulates those carnival games where you have to propel your horse down a via any manner of hammer-bopping, ball-rolling or water gun-squirting—only here, the idea is to actually jump up and down like a horse’s gallop. A firm slap to your own hindquarters (riding crop optional) delivers an additional boost via accelerometer detection.…
Visiting Microsoft’s Media Center posse in Redmond, I just caught a glimpse of the Windows 7 Media Center interface with integrated touch control (no third-party software) on an HP TouchSmart. All I can say is, I’ve always loved the MCE user experience—it really is a highlight of Microsoft design—but adding smooth touch interaction makes it…
It appears that Konica Minolta will take mini-projector one-upsmanship to the next level with a new device that measures about 1.6 inches long, .79 inches wide, and only .3 inches thick—roughly the size of a smallish thumbdrive. When all is said and done, Konica believes that this new projector will be able to throw 20-inch…
A recent survey of British teachers has revealed that students are relying more and more on tech-related excuses to explain their failure to hand in homework. Traditional excuses like “the dog ate it” have given way to gems like “the computer crashed”, “the internet was down”, “a printer failed to work” and “work was deleted…
I’ve seen a lot of disassembled MacBooks already, but this is the first time I’ve seen one under x-rays. The image was taken by Jason De Villa because he wonder how would it look like. I’ve to agree on his curiosity: Like other gadget x-rays we have featured in the past, there’s something about radiographed…
For anyone with a child, that bond you feel with your offspring is the most powerful in nature. And your protective instincts demand the absolute best in child safety, like this $4,000 Wing Man baby seat prototype. It’s constructed of strong, lightweight carbon fiber—the same material used in performance cars and airplanes across the world—that…
Wonder material the carbon nanotube has another new application: A team at the University of Michigan has worked out how to coat cotton threads with a polymer and nanotube mix to produce conductive mini-cables. Conductive threads per se aren’t new, but they generally involve metal which limits their utility—this new material is flexible enough to…
I can’t speak for everyone here, but most of us have 3, 4 or 5 industrial-sized oxygen tanks just rolling around, taking up precious space in our homes. Well here’s a tip that’ll put Martha Stewart’s upcoming book Oxygen Tank Decorating Made Easy straight to the bottom of the charts. Just stick a lampshade on…
Resonance speakers that turn any hollow or low-density surface into a speaker are not new, but how many of said speaker kits come with their own nicely designed milk carton SOUND REVOLUTION speaker simulacrum? The Yoruzu audio kit does just that, via a Jony Ive-inspired stethoscope attachment. It will turn your hollow drywall into a…
Back in April, Philips announced plans to hand over its television promotion, sales and manufacturing to Funai. Now the company has expanded those plans to what sounds like all of their home theater products, including DVD players, Blu-ray players and surround sound equipment. Oh, you’ll still see Philips DVD players for sure, but it won’t…
So modern treehouses aren’t new, but the designers of this project in New Zealand have crafted something that blends fantastically with its host redwood tree. The fungus or chrysalis-shaped building—take your aesthetic pick—will be a smallish restaurant built by, of all people, the NZ Yellow Pages. It’s currently under construction from laminated pine, plantation poplar…
Before 2007, using the internet on your phone would make you want to kill yourself, if you were dumb enough to believe the crap splattered across that tiny screen even was the “internet.” But the combination of increased bandwidth and better mobile software means that more phones really are promising to deliver the real internet,…
The Datel Lite Blue Tool looks to be the best option we’ve got at the moment for hacking the PSP 3000. It’s essentially a smart battery that clones Sony lab equipment to put the PSP 2000 and PSP 3000 into Service Mode. From this mode, users are approaching the PSP with the access of a…
As the season for joy nears, people are already getting ready for their Xmas lighting decoration. And if you are a store manager at the American Family Association, that means a burning cross in your doorstep. Because nothing says “Let’s celebrate Jesus’ birthday” better than the symbol of his dead in glowing LED glory, 210…
If you’d like to experience the effects of drugs without actually taking any pesky drugs, here’s a little experiment that might be right up your alley. These things called Ganzfeld hallucinations are available to you without any shady alleyway dealing; all you need is a pair of headphones and a ping pong ball cut in…
I’ve always wanted to fry a turkey for Thanksgiving, but the safety aspects concern me (what if the oil spilled, what if the turkey threw me into immediate cardiac arrest). Plus, I’m more than a little baffled over what one does with the 100 or so leftover gallons of peanut oil. The Oil-less Turkey Fryer…
I see this dumbtastic egg-case-style Bajca emoticon keyboard and the only thing I wish is that somebody actually brings it to market, sends it to me to test, and then I get a hammer to smash all those stupid emoticons like it was a Whac-a-Mole game. Maybe it’s just me and you will love its…
There’re one or two contenders in the netbook-for-desktop nettop game, but with MSI’s new Wind Neton machines it could get a bit interesting. Atom-based, of course, the PCs will come in 22-inch, 18.5 and 15.6-inch screen versions, dubbed M22, M19 and M16, and the all-in-one iMac alikes look like they’ll have optional touchscreens. Releases are…